Simple Pleasures
by Kailey Hamilton
Summary: After two months of hiding in the Wood household, Katie is allowed to spend an afternoon outdoors with Oliver. Oliver is surprised to discover that, after having lost everything, she's still willing to enjoy the little things in life. And that's the only thing that gives him hope. Oneshot for the amazing Anna.


_Disclaimer: Recognize it? Not mine._

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**Simple Pleasures**

When Katie felt the cold air on her face, she started crying. Her reaction made Oliver feel quite uneasy.

"Is... is everything alright?"

Katie closed her eyes and let her tears be taken by the wind. A smile found a way to her face, and that's when it made sense to Oliver - she was crying tears of joy.

She kneeled down, and took snow between her hands.

"I've always loathed winter," she said. "But you can't help but appreciate it when you've been unable to go outdoors for two months." She looked up, her eyes still hazy. "This is the best Valentine's Day gift you could've given me. Thank you so much."

He smiled, humbled by how impressed she was by the simple outdoors.

"Well, I'm sorry for the delay. It took me long to get my dad's approval."

"Don't be sorry. You've done more than enough by saving my life... risking all of your lives in the process would be ridiculous. I'm already in debt to you all."

Taking Katie out on a snowy day seemed safe, and after those two months, all the paranoia in the Wood household had almost died down.

Two long months had passed since the day Oliver found her among the beggars of Diagon Alley. Two months since that long row with his parents and his sister...

He half-smiled, realizing how quickly everyone had warmed up to her. Oliver himself was so used to Katie's presence by then, that it always surprised him to realize, time and time again, that the whole situation was unnatural for her.

His thoughts were interrupted by a snowball hitting his back with such force that it startled him.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"No it didn't, Oliver," she said between laughs. "But I'm a Chaser, so what the hell were you expecting?"

"Well, that's still admirable, considering that I play professional Quidditch and you've been unable to for so long."

He regretted saying that the second it came out of his mouth. But, to his surprise, she laughed louder.

"That was a low blow, Oliver!" A bigger snowball hit him on his chest.

This time he let himself be taunted, and attacked back.

She hadn't talked much about her time on the run, but he'd gathered that her mother - a Muggle-born herself - had registered with the Muggle-born Registration Commission and had been sent to Azkaban. Katie's father was a Muggle, and she didn't know what had happened to him.

She hadn't wanted to give her name to the Ministry, so that's why she ended up running away. How she'd ended up wandless in Diagon Alley, he didn't know. She'd refused to tell. He suspected it involved a pack of Snatchers and a clever escape, but he was in no position to guess.

_It's odd, Oliver_, she once told him. _It's awful, but I'm so used to not seeing them for such long periods of time, that I... I forget, you know? And even when I do remember, the hope that they could still be alive keeps me sane. I can't do anything about it - the only thing I can do is to keep hoping._

Katie was never one to get worried over things she couldn't fix, but he hadn't realized she could take it that far. She was mostly her usual self - cheerful, bubbly, even a little bit obnoxious.

She couldn't fool him though - he knew Katie wasn't okay. Who would be, after everything she had been through? More than once, he'd found her crying. More than once, she had begged him to let her go. More than once, he'd told her she was free to leave whenever she wanted.

But they both knew she wouldn't, and so, she'd often complain about how trapped she felt. She never said a word to Oliver's parents, but he'd had to witness many of her ups and downs.

That's why he knew that taking her outdoors would lift her spirits, and he'd been glad when it was proven that he'd been right.

"Oliver, you're not even trying!" she whined. He smiled guiltily.

"I-I'm sorry, Katie. I guess I was just lost in thought."

"Well, find yourself. A snowball fight isn't fun when it's this easy. I already have the better aim as it is!"

He had to admit that she did. _When the war is over, Quidditch teams will be battling each other to take you._

He didn't voice his thoughts. The war could be over, yes, but Voldemort could be the one to win it, and Katie would be in an even greater danger.

"Let's go flying instead."

"It's so like you to suggest flying in such weather!" She giggled, but quieted down hastily. "I don't think your parents would be okay with that, though. Let's just build a snowman, instead."

It seemed like a sensible analysis, so he nodded.

"I haven't built a snowman since I was thirteen..."

"So what are you waiting for? Let's make a fancy snowman."

"With a top hat and a monocle?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking more like a snow-centaur or a snow-mermaid. Wait. Do you have a top hat and a monocle? That would be hysterical!"

Upon seeing Katie act so enthusiastically, he couldn't help but laugh. Katie had always been childish, prone to enjoy things like snowball-fighting and snowmen-making.

"Let's just build for the time being, alright?"

The next few minutes were spent quietly. They were both smiling, sharing the silence in glee and comfort.

Oliver had never cared for the making of snowmen - he'd always found it a boring activity, actually. But he was deeply enjoying her company, and that was more than enough for him. He was more caught up with Katie's attitude, and that's what made him so joyful.

He had a job, he had a family, and he came and went every day. He was unable to fully empathize with Katie, but he couldn't help but be amazed at her merry attitude in such dark times. Again, he knew she wasn't actually _happy_, but the way she battled her many hardships hinted at an amount of tenacity and love of life that he didn't thought actually existed.

_I'm very fortunate that you found me_, she once told him. _I'm fortunate that your family is being so nice to me. I've good food to eat, a roof over my head, and I'm not alone. I can't ask for much more. Considering the state I was in before you found me... well, I now know that things can always get worse._

Yes, Oliver knew right then that he was taking life itself for granted. Oliver came and went every day and he was unable to fully appreciate the beauty of the outdoors, or the freedom he had. Seeing Katie so humbled by such simple pleasures, especially in such difficult times, made him admire her so much that he felt his heart burst with emotion.

That's when he knew.

"Katie, I think..." He breathed deeply, looking straight at Katie. She observed him with curiosity. "I think I'm falling for you."

If she was taken aback, it didn't show. She looked quite exasperated to him.

"Oliver, I'm very flattered," she finally said. "But it's kind of unfair of you to say such a thing right now. You're the only bloke I see constantly."

Again, he had to remember Katie wasn't living a normal life. It was hard, since she kept her hope and her general high spirits, and he was just so used to her and glad to have her around. He knew it was wrong of him, but he couldn't help it.

"You're right. I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize, you idiot," she interrupted him with a smile. "I think it's quite obvious that we're attracted to each other. Let's just... talk about this after the war, alright?" She was blushing, though Oliver suspected that it was the cold air rather than his words what made her fluster. "And don't feel like you have to wait for me or anything..."

"Oh, I'll wait."

She looked at him in shock, then quickly focused on shaping the head of their snowman as a perfect circle. He wondered if he'd said something wrong.

Katie didn't seem angry though - just surprised. And if he had to be honest with himself, he was surprised too. It was ironic that Katie could mention a post-war scenario but he couldn't bring himself to. The uncertainty fell upon him and blinded him. Everywhere around him he saw darkness, and it didn't look like it would go away anytime soon.

However, seeing Katie's eyes glimmer and her smile grow wider, Oliver dismissed those thoughts. Her hope was too infectious.

_Oh, I will wait for her,_he decided. _And if we lose the war... well, we can figure something out._

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_Notes: I hold this close to my heart because this is one of the very few Katie/Oliver stories I've ever written that is somewhat based on my headcanon, and I've been dying to write a DH Katie/Oliver for a long time now. This was written for the amazing ladyoftheknightley, for the Gift-Giving Extravaganza._

_**Anna:** Yes, you deserve better than a last-minute story. You've been super wonderful to me and I wanted to pay you back with the most awesome fic in existence. Okay, so that didn't happen but to be fair, I tried about a million different plots all throughout the month and I didn't like them (okay, it was just about five or six but it's still a lot.) I thought you deserved better... and this is actually much better than any of those ideas I had. I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Which is a lot :)_

_A million thanks to the amazing** autumn midnights** for beta-reading this story!_

_And to you, reader, a million thanks for... well, for reading xD_

_-Karyn._


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